Fall steelhead trout fishing is ready to begin. Just add some chilly nights and a lot of rain. Steelhead trout are beginning to stage in the near shore areas and around the breakwalls and harbor mouths,” said Kevin Kayle, head of the Division of Wildlife’s Fairport Harbor Research Station. “When we get some cold nights and heavy rains to...
Steelhead trout are beginning to stage in the near shore areas and around the breakwalls and harbor mouths like here at Fairport Harbor.Fall steelhead trout fishing is ready to begin. Just add some chilly nights and a lot of rain.
Steelhead trout are beginning to stage in the near shore areas and around the breakwalls and harbor mouths,” said Kevin Kayle, head of the Division of Wildlife’s Fairport Harbor Research Station. “When we get some cold nights and heavy rains to raise the river levels, we’ll see good numbers of steelhead trout moving up the rivers.”
Kayle expects an average run of steelhead trout over the next six or seven months, with good numbers of 25- to 26-inch fish. Surveys show fishing pressure will be constant when steelhead weather arrives.
“The trout program is now so popular, we see just as many fishermen during the week as on weekends,” Kayle said. “About 12 percent of the anglers we survey are from out of state.”
Next year’s steelhead stockings could decline by about 100,000 fish. Ohio usually gets a mix of 400,000 fingerlings and eggs from Michigan, but asked for all fingerlings this year because of construction at the Castalia State Fish Hatchery. Michigan is expected to supply only about 300,000 wild Little Manistee River trout fingerlings because of its own hatchery problems.
“On the plus side, with the lower number, we’ll have more hatchery room for them, and the trout could grow a little bigger than the usual 6 inches before they’re released. That increases their chances of survival,” Kayle said.
Ohio wants to collect its own eggs, but that is still a few years away. Kayle has been crunching last year’s trout numbers, and said catch rates and fishing pressure were slightly down. Poor angling weather was mostly to blame, as well as mediocre fishing on shallow Arcola and Cowles creeks, where a lot of rain is needed to lure a constant parade of trout.
To get anglers in the mood, steelhead trout seminars and events are filling the calendar.
Chagrin River Outfitters in Chagrin Falls is hosting Steelhead Trout Day on Saturday from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., with free seminars and demonstrations. Distance and accuracy fly casting contests are at 1 p.m.
The 17th annual Steelhead Expo is Oct. 2 at the Rocky River Nature Center in North Olmsted. Sponsored by the Ohio Central Basin Steelheaders and the Cleveland Metroparks, the free show features exhibits and seminars from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Metroparks and fishing: The Cleveland Metroparks has a wide variety of fishing programs in October, starting with the Outdoor Odyssey for kids at the Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation on Oct. 9.
The Accessible Adventures-Fishing program is Oct. 9 at Wallace Lake in Berea, with a Family Fishing program Oct. 10 at Shadow Lake in Solon. A couple of Steelhead Fly Fishing Basics classes are Oct. 16 and Oct. 23.
Perch tourneys: The North Coast Charter Boat Association has its second annual Lake Erie Perch Shoot Out Tournament on Saturday at the East 55th Street Marina in Cleveland. There’s a $100 entry, and a maximum of eight fishing rods in action per boat. Call John Babroski at 440-773-2168. A meeting of captains is tonight at 7. If the weather is bad, the tourney will be moved to Sunday.
Clams and fishing: The Cleveland Fishing Association’s Clambake is Oct. 10, and the public is welcome to the club’s top social event of the year at the Pipefitters Hall, 6305 Halle Drive, Valley View. Tickets ($37) include a reverse raffle. Call Bob Hanousek at 216-469-8064.
Bowhunters beware: The four-month Ohio archery deer hunting season opens Saturday and bowhunters must be cautious in the warm weather. Venison will quickly spoil on a warm autumn day. If you tag a deer, field dress it quickly, stop at the check station and head straight to a store that sells ice. Pack the body cavity with plenty of ice, and plan on butchering the deer as soon as you get home.
Make it official: Hunters and anglers can make that first deer, walleye, turkey or any critter they bagged a special memory by creating a My First Harvest Certificate on the Ohio Division of Wildlife website. A downloaded photo or a stock image can be part of the certificate. Visit wildohio.com
Family outdoor fun: There is still time to make a reservation for Saturday’s Family Fun Day at Elkhorn Lake Hunt Club in Bucyrus, which includes a youth pheasant hunt for kids, fishing, shooting and lunch.
Owners Sam and Peg Ballou are hosting, along with the National Wild Turkey Federation, Ruffed Grouse Society, Ohio Bowhunters Association and other groups. Visit elkhornlakehuntclub.com or call 419-562-6131.
Duck stamps needed: Local hunters are complaining once again about the difficulty in finding a location to buy a federal duck stamp, which waterfowlers need to hunt geese and ducks. Post offices are supposed to offer the stamps, but the smaller post offices often do not — and the big post offices sometimes run out of the stamps.
The early Canada goose and teal seasons are already over, but hunters looking for the stamps for the regular waterfowl seasons can go online a t duckstamp.com to order them. The online receipt is good for 45 days, by which time the stamp should have arrived. The large post offices and some local Gander Mountain stores have the federal stamps, but call before making the trip.
Outdoor news: The Kincaid State Fish Hatchery is stocking 6,634 9- to 10-inch young muskies this week at Lake Milton (1,100 muskies), Pidemont (1,528), Leesville (732), Alum Creek (2,234), Clear Fork (708) and West Branch (1,432).
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: degan@plaind.com, 216-999-5158